KOTA KINABALU – Sabah has enough supply of essential items, including rice, for the next six months. which is more than adequate to tide over the movement control order period, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
“Our current stock of white rice at wholesalers and retail outlets stands at 12,528 metric tonnes (MT) while our buffer stock stands at 49,500 MT. We also have 12,528 MT in shipment. These do not include fragrant rice, glutinous rice and basmati rice.
“On average, Sabah consumes 12,000 MT of rice per month,” he said.
The agriculture and fisheries minister said Sabah also has enough supply of vegetables and fruits for the MCO period, as the three permanent food production parks in Kundasang, Putatan and Lahad Datu are operating as usual.
The supply of fish also exceeds demand: last year, demand for fish products was 176,959 MT while output was 202,436 MT.
There is also an adequate supply of beef, buffalo meat, chicken, pork, eggs and milk, he said.
“As the minister in charge of the ministry that regulates agricultural products, I want to reassure our Sabah consumers that we will not run out of food.
“Therefore, there is no need for panic-buying or stockpiling of essentials, particularly food items. We have more than enough supplies,” Jeffrey added. – The Vibes, June 4, 2021
